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{{short description|American journalist and sportscaster (born 1948)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Bryant Gumbel
| image   = Bryant Gumbel Peabody 2013 (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Gumbel in 2013
| birthname   = Bryant Charles Gumbel
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1948|09|29}}
| death_date  =
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[New Orleans, Louisiana]], U.S.}}
| alma_mater = [[Bates College]]
| occupation  = Television personality, sportscaster
| spouse      = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|June Baranco|1973|2001|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Hilary Quinlan|2002}}
}}
| children    = 2
| relatives   = [[Greg Gumbel]] (brother)
| credits     = ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]''<br>''[[The Early Show]]''<br>''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]''
| years_active = 1972–present
}}
'''Bryant Charles Gumbel''' (born September 29, 1948) is a retired American [[television journalist]] and [[sportscaster]]. He was best known for his 15 years as co-host of [[NBC]]'s ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today]]''. His older brother was sportscaster [[Greg Gumbel]].<ref>{{Cite web   |date=1992-01-24 |title=Super Bowl Host No Bryant Gumbel, and That's Just Fine |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-24-sp-552-story.html |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=The Los Angeles Times }}</ref> From 1995 to 2023, he hosted [[HBO]]'s acclaimed investigative series ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]'', which has been rated as "flat out TV's best sports program" by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Howard |title=Two Old Sports Try New Games |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-10-ca-41085-story.html |access-date=June 15, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 10, 1997}}</ref> It won a [[Peabody Award]] in 2012.<ref name=":1">[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/real-sports-with-bryant-gumbel 71st Annual Peabody Awards], May 2013.</ref>

Gumbel was hired by [[NBC Sports]] in the fall of 1975 as co-host of its [[National Football League]] pre-game show ''[[The NFL on NBC Pregame Show#GrandStand|GrandStand]]'' with [[Jack Buck]]. From 1975 until January 1982 (when he left to do ''The Today Show''), he hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including [[Major League Baseball on NBC|Major League Baseball]], [[College Basketball on NBC|college basketball]] and the [[NFL on NBC|National Football League]]. He returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time [[Olympics on NBC|coverage]] of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] from [[Seoul]] and the [[PGA Tour on NBC|PGA Tour]] in 1990.

NBC News made Gumbel the principal anchor of ''Today'' beginning September 27, 1982, and broadcast from [[Vietnam]], [[Vatican City]], [[Europe]], [[South America]], and much of the [[United States]] between 1984 and 1989. Gumbel's work on ''Today'' earned him several [[Emmy Awards|Emmys]] and a large fanbase. He is the third longest serving co-host of ''Today'', after former hosts [[Matt Lauer]] and [[Katie Couric]]. He left the show on January 3, 1997, after 15 years.

Gumbel moved to [[CBS]], where he hosted various shows before becoming co-host of the network's morning show ''[[The Early Show]]'' on November 1, 1999. Gumbel was hosting ''The Early Show'' on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was the first to announce the [[September 11 attacks]] to CBS viewers.  Gumbel left CBS and ''The Early Show'' on May 17, 2002.

==Early life and education==
Gumbel was born in [[New Orleans]]. He is the son of Rhea Alice (née LeCesne), a city clerk, and Richard Dunbar Gumbel, a judge.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/11/Bryant-Gumbel.html|title=Bryant Gumbel Biography (1948-)}}</ref> Gumbel's paternal great-great-grandfather was a [[German-Jewish]] emigrant from the village of [[Albisheim]].<ref>Stated on ''[[Finding Your Roots]]'', November 7, 2017</ref> Raised [[Catholic Church|Catholic]],<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dionne|first=E. J.|date=1985-04-06|title=WITH POPE'S APPROVAL, NBC EXPLORES THE VATICAN|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/06/arts/with-pope-s-approval-nbc-explores-the-vatican.html|access-date=2021-03-28|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> he attended and graduated from [[De La Salle Institute]] in [[Chicago]], while growing up on the South Side of the city; his family had moved north when he was a child. He graduated from [[Bates College]] in 1970 with a degree in Russian history. He was one of four siblings, including two sisters and an older brother, [[Greg Gumbel]], who also became a nationally recognized sports broadcaster.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-07-05-9002250030-story.html|title=Big Brother Greg Gumbel Poised for Stardom at CBS|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=July 5, 1990 }}</ref><ref>CBS Indianapolis Colts vs Chicago Bears October 4th 2020 - 6 minutes left in the 3rd</ref>

== Career ==
In 1971, he became editor of ''[[Black Sports (magazine)|Black Sports]]'', leaving the following year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/gumbel-bryant-1948 |title=Gumbel, Bryant (1948– ) &#124; The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed |date=June 23, 2011 |website=The Black Past |access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/78078%7c0/Bryant-Gumbel/ |title=Overview for Bryant Gumbel |publisher=TCM|access-date=March 2, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Fitzhenry |first=Joseph |url=http://www.maristmy575.com/?p=8882 |title=Bryant Gumbel speaks his mind to students and faculty |publisher=Maristmy575.com |date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=March 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728104354/http://www.maristmy575.com/?p=8882 |archive-date=July 28, 2014 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> He began his television career in October 1972, when he was made a sportscaster for [[KNBC-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]].

=== NBC ===
==== NBC Sports ====
Already a local evening news sports anchor for KNBC (a Los Angeles television station owned and operated by NBC), Gumbel began appearing on [[NBC Sports]] telecasts in the fall of 1975, as co-host of its [[National Football League]] pre-game show ''[[The NFL on NBC Pregame Show#GrandStand|GrandStand]]'' with [[Jack Buck]]. From 1975 until January 1982 (when he left to do ''The Today Show''), he hosted numerous sporting events for NBC including [[Major League Baseball on NBC|Major League Baseball]], [[College Basketball on NBC|college basketball]] and the [[NFL on NBC|National Football League]]. He returned to sportscasting for NBC when he hosted the prime time [[Olympics on NBC|coverage]] of the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] from [[Seoul]] and the [[PGA Tour on NBC|PGA Tour]] in 1990.

One of Gumbel's more memorable moments during his time at NBC Sports occurred when he was on-site for the "[[The Epic in Miami|Epic in Miami]]" NFL playoff game between the [[1981 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]] and [[1981 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]]. At the end of the game, he told the viewers, "If you didn't like this football game then you don't like football!" This would be one of his final assignments for NBC Sports, as he began co-hosting ''[[Today (U.S. TV program)|Today]]'' two days later.

==== ''Today'' ====
Gumbel began his affiliation with ''Today'' as the program's chief sports reporter contributing twice-weekly features to the program, including a regular series entitled "Sportsman of the Week," featuring up-and-coming athletes. In June 1981, NBC announced that [[Tom Brokaw]] would depart ''Today'' to anchor the ''NBC Nightly News'' with [[Roger Mudd]] beginning in the spring of 1982. The search for Brokaw's replacement was on, and the initial candidates were all NBC News correspondents, including [[John Palmer (TV journalist)|John Palmer]], [[Chris Wallace (journalist)|Chris Wallace]], [[Bob Kur]], [[Bob Jamieson]], and [[Jessica Savitch]]. The candidates auditioned for Brokaw's job throughout the summer of 1981 when he was on vacation. Gumbel became a candidate for the job just by chance when he served as a last-minute substitute for ''Today'' co-anchor [[Jane Pauley]] in August 1981. He so impressed executive producer Steve Friedman and other NBC executives that he quickly became a top contender for the ''Today'' anchor position. 
While Friedman and other NBC executives favored Gumbel as Brokaw's replacement, another contingent within the NBC News division felt strongly that he should be replaced by a fellow news correspondent, not a sports reporter. Wallace was the favored candidate of then-NBC News president Bill Small. NBC News decided to split the difference, selecting Gumbel as the program's anchor and Wallace as the Washington-based anchor. Pauley would remain co-anchor in New York. Brokaw signed off of ''Today'' on December 18, 1981, and Gumbel replaced him on January 4, 1982. Gumbel and Brokaw had previously worked together on KNBC's 6:00&nbsp;p.m. newscast in the mid-1970s, with Brokaw as anchor and Gumbel on sports.

The Gumbel–Pauley–Wallace arrangement, known internally as the "[[The Mod Squad|Mod Squad]]", lasted only nine months. It was an arrangement that proved intriguing on paper but unwieldy on television. Gumbel served as the show's traffic cop, opening and closing the program and conducting New York–based interviews, but Pauley and Wallace handled newsreading duties, and Wallace conducted all Washington-based hard news interviews. With ABC's ''[[Good Morning America]]'' in first place and expanding its lead, NBC News made Gumbel the principal anchor of ''Today'' beginning September 27, 1982, with Pauley as his co-anchor. Wallace became the chief White House correspondent covering [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]], and [[John Palmer (TV journalist)|John Palmer]], previously a White House correspondent, became ''Today'''s New York–based news anchor.

Gumbel and Pauley had a challenging first two years together as ''Today'' anchors as they sought to find a rhythm as a team. ''Good Morning America'' solidified its lead over ''Today'' in the ratings during the summer of 1983, and Pauley's departure for maternity leave sent ''Today'' into a ratings tailspin. But when she returned in February 1984, they began to work well together as a team. NBC took ''Today'' on the road in the fall of '84, sending Gumbel to the [[Soviet Union]] for an unprecedented series of live broadcasts from [[Moscow]]. He won plaudits for his performance, erasing any doubts about his hard-news capabilities. That trip began a whirlwind period of travel for ''Today''. Remote broadcasts from [[Vietnam]], [[Vatican City]], [[Europe]], [[South America]], and much of the [[United States]] followed between 1984 and 1989. ''Today'' began to regain its old ratings dominance against ''Good Morning America'' throughout 1985, and by early 1986, the NBC program was once again atop the ratings.

During this time, Gumbel had developed animosity toward [[David Letterman]] when the ''[[Late Night with David Letterman|Late Night]]'' host disrupted taping of a ''Today'' primetime special in [[Rockefeller Center]] with a bullhorn. "If I had gotten to him, I would have hit him," Gumbel said of Letterman. The pair would reconcile a few years later.<ref>[https://eyesofageneration.com/remember-the-letterman-gumble-feud-heres-where-it-startedin-may-of-1985-t/ "Remember The Letterman-Gumble Feud? Here’s Where It Started!"], Eyes of a Generation.</ref><ref>Vinnie Mancuso, [https://observer.com/2015/05/the-top-ten-times-david-letterman-didnt-give-a-fck/ "The Top 10 Times David Letterman Didn’t Give a F*ck"], ''[[Observer.com|Observer]]'', May 20, 2015.</ref>

In 1989, Gumbel, who was already known for his strong management style as ''Today'' anchor, wrote a memo to the executive producer Marty Ryan, on Ryan's request, critiquing the program and identifying its shortcomings. Many of his criticisms were directed at fellow ''Today'' staffers. It was leaked to the press. In the memo, Gumbel commented that [[Willard Scott]] "holds the show hostage to his assortment of whims, wishes, birthdays and bad taste ... this guy is killing us and no one's even trying to rein him in". He commented that [[Gene Shalit]]'s movie reviews "are often late and his interviews aren't very good."<ref>Monica Collins, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001063138/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/4066132.html?dids=4066132&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS&date=Mar+1,+1989&author=Collins,+Monica&pub=USA+TODAY&edition=&startpage=D1&desc=Memo+to+NBC:+We+Love+Scott "Memo to NBC: We Love Scott"], ''[[USA Today]]'', March 1, 1989.</ref>

There was enough negative backlash in regard to Gumbel's comments toward Scott that he was shown making up with Scott on ''Today''.<ref>Brian Donlon, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071001064611/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/55908252.html?dids=55908252:55908252&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Mar+14,+1989&author=Brian+Donlon&pub=USA+TODAY+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=01.D&desc=On+%60Today,%27+it%27s+kiss+and+make+up "On ''Today'', it's kiss and make up"], ''''USA Today'', March 14, 1989.</ref>

Following Pauley's departure from ''Today'' in December 1989, Gumbel was joined by [[Deborah Norville]] in a short-lived partnership that lasted just over a year. ''Today'' dropped to second place in the ratings during this period as a result of intensely negative publicity surrounding Norville's replacement of Pauley, and Gumbel's feud with Scott. Norville was replaced by [[Katie Couric]] in April 1991, and the Gumbel-Couric team helped refocus ''Today'' as the morning news program on public affairs during the 1992 presidential campaign. The program returned to first place in the ratings in December 1995.

Gumbel's work on ''Today'' earned him several [[Emmys]] and a large group of fans. He is the third longest serving co-host of ''Today'', after [[Matt Lauer]] and Couric. He stepped down from the show on January 3, 1997, after 15 years.

Since his departure, Gumbel has made occasional appearances on ''Today''. He appeared for the show's 60th anniversary and hosted with Lauer and Pauley on December 30, 2013.<ref>Patrick Kevin Day, [http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-bryant-gumbel-jane-pauley-return-to-today-20131230,0,4410436.story#axzz2pAmr1100 "Bryant Gumbel, Jane Pauley return to Today"], ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', December 30, 2013.</ref>

=== CBS ===
==== ''Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel'' ====
After 15 years on ''Today'', Gumbel moved to CBS to host a new prime time news-magazine called ''Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel'' during the 1997–1998 television season. The episode "The Reckoning" won a [[Peabody Award]] in 1998.<ref>[http://www.peabodyawards.com/award-profile/the-reckoning 58th Annual Peabody Awards], May 1999.</ref> It lasted just one season before being cancelled. It aired on Wednesday nights at 9pm ET before moving to Tuesdays at 9pm ET.<ref>[http://www.infoplease.com/ipea/A0196045.html "Public Eye With Bryant Gumbel"], infoplease.com.</ref><ref>Richard Huff, [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/eye-ratings-cbs-replaces-gumbel-exec-article-1.793868 "With 'eye' toward ratings, CBS replaces Gumbel exec"], ''New York Daily News'', February 6, 1998.</ref>

==== ''The Early Show'' ====
After the cancellation of ''Public Eye'', Gumbel hosted various other CBS shows before becoming co-host of the network's morning show ''[[The Early Show]]'' on November 1, 1999. Gumbel left ''The Early Show'' (and CBS that same year) on May 17, 2002. Gumbel was hosting ''The Early Show'' on the morning of September 11, 2001. He was the first to announce the [[September 11 attacks]] to CBS viewers.

In the spring and summer of 2010, he served as a special guest moderator of ABC's ''[[The View (U.S. TV series)|The View]]'' for multiple days.

==== Boy Scouts incident ====
A [[CBS]] camera caught a disgusted Gumbel blurting out, "What a fucking idiot," just after he had finished a hostile interview with Robert Knight of the [[Family Research Council]] (FRC). The incident occurred at about 7:15&nbsp;a.m. ET on Thursday, June 29, 2000, following Knight's appearance to defend the [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] policy of excluding [[Homosexuality|gays]] from being leaders. The [[Media Research Center]] reported that he uttered those words; Gumbel openly admitted to saying so when guest-hosting a June 2007 episode of ''[[Live with Regis and Kelly]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Baker|first=Brent|title="F***ing Idiot" Outburst by Gumbel; Donaldson Also Dissed a Conservative|url=http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2000/cyb20000630_extra.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020428084556/http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2000/cyb20000630_extra.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 28, 2002|work=CyberAlert|publisher=Media Research Center|date=June 30, 2000|access-date=November 16, 2008}}</ref>

=== ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'' ===
Gumbel has concentrated most of his energy recently on his duties as host of [[HBO]]'s acclaimed investigative series ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]'' (a show that he has hosted since 1995). HBO's web page claims that ''Real Sports'' has been described as "flat out—TV's best sports program" by the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/realsports/about/|title=Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel|publisher=HBO Sports}}</ref> It won a [[Peabody Award]] in 2012.<ref name=":1"/>

==== Notable remarks ====
In February 2006, Gumbel made remarks seen as controversial regarding the Winter Olympics and the lack of Black athlete participation, while others considered it important sports journalism commentary.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wojciechowski |first1=Gene |author-link1=Gene Wojciechowski |title=On Olympics and color, Gumbel should know better |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2337773 |website=ESPN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209042315/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=2337773 |archive-date=December 9, 2013 |language=en-US |date=February 20, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{blockquote|So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of Blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention.}}

On the August 15, 2006, episode of ''Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel'', Gumbel made the following remarks about former NFL commissioner [[Paul Tagliabue]] and Players' Union president [[Gene Upshaw]] and directed these comments to new commissioner [[Roger Goodell]]:

{{blockquote|Before he cleans out his office, have Paul Tagliabue show you where he keeps Upshaw's leash. By making the docile head of the players' union his personal pet, your predecessor has kept the peace without giving players the kind of guarantees other pros take for granted. Try to make sure no one competent ever replaces Upshaw on your watch.}}

In response, Tagliabue said:

{{blockquote|What Gumbel said about Gene Upshaw and our owners is about as irresponsible as anything I've heard in a long time.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Michael McCarthy |title=Gumbel's remarks strike ill chord with Tagliabue |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-08-21-gumbel-upshaw_x.htm |website=USA TODAY |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020234439/https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-08-21-gumbel-upshaw_x.htm |archive-date=October 20, 2008 |language=en-US |date=August 22, 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

On the October 18, 2011, Gumbel evoked [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]] in his criticism of NBA Commissioner [[David Stern]] over the [[2011 NBA lockout|league's lockout]].{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

{{blockquote|His efforts are typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern-day plantation overseer, treating ([[National Basketball Association]]) men as if they were his boys. ... His moves are intended to do little more than show how he's the one keeping the hired hands in their place.}}

In a Rolling Stone article dated January 20, 2015, Gumbel said: "There are a few things I hate more than the [[National Rifle Association of America|NRA]]. I mean truly. I think they're pigs. I think they don't care about human life. I think they are a curse upon the American landscape. So we got that on the record."<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Jason Guerrasio |title='Real' Talk: Bryant Gumbel on the NFL, the NCAA and the NRA |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/real-talk-bryant-gumbel-on-the-nfl-the-ncaa-and-the-nra-187030/ |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122040020/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/real-talk-bryant-gumbel-on-the-nfl-the-ncaa-and-the-nra-20150120 |archive-date=January 22, 2015 |language=en-US |date=January 20, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== ''The Weather Man'' ===
Gumbel made a cameo appearance alongside [[Nicolas Cage]] and [[Michael Caine]] in ''[[The Weather Man]]'', a [[2005 in film|film]] directed by [[Gore Verbinski]]. In it, he cohosts a morning show entitled ''Hello America,'' for which Cage's character, a depressed weatherman, auditions.

=== ''Seinfeld'' ===
Gumbel made a cameo appearance on the NBC sitcom ''[[Seinfeld]]'' during which he interviewed [[Jerry Seinfeld (character)|Jerry Seinfeld]] on ''Today'' while Jerry was wearing the puffy pirate shirt in the episode "[[The Puffy Shirt]]".

=== ''The Nanny'' ===
Gumbel made a cameo appearance on the sitcom ''[[The Nanny]]'' during which he gives Fran Fine an audition for a job in television in the episode "Fair Weather Fran".

=== NFL Network ===
{{Main|Run to the Playoffs}}
In April 2006, [[NFL Network]] announced that Gumbel, along with [[Cris Collinsworth]] and [[Dick Vermeil]], would comment on its new package of NFL games. Unlike his brother Greg, he had never called [[play-by-play]] for live sporting events in his career.<ref>[http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/sports/16340143.htm "Gumbel's move to play-by-play was a bad call"]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111208135518/http://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2009/12/decade-in-review-10-worst-personnel/ Sports Media Watch presents the ten worst personnel moves of the 2000s. #6: Bryant Gumbel calls NFL games (2006–08, NFL Network)]</ref> Before his first game commentary for the network, his status was brought into question after he stirred up controversy in his closing remarks on his HBO program on August 15, 2006, in which he criticized [[NFL Players Association]] head [[Gene Upshaw]] and outgoing [[NFL Commissioner]] [[Paul Tagliabue]]. He would later reconcile with the NFL and retained his play-by-play job with the NFL Network.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14701011/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226133419/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14701011/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 26, 2007|title=Homepage: NBC Sports|date=August 23, 2015}}</ref> On December 29, 2007, he had a reunion of sorts as he called the [[2007 New England Patriots-New York Giants game|Patriots-Giants game]] on the NFL Network, CBS, and NBC. This is the first three-network simulcast NFL game and, coincidentally, he has worked for all three networks during his career. He also had a strong affiliation with [[NFL Films]].

Gumbel's performance was the subject of criticism over his entire run because of his voice and a perceived lack of knowledge about the game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/12/sports/football/12sandomir.html?ref=topics|title= Gumbel Resigns From NFL Network|date=April 12, 2008|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Gumbel stepped down as play-by-play announcer in April 2008, prior to the [[2008 NFL season]]. He would be replaced on the NFL Network telecasts by [[Bob Papa]], then the radio play-by-play announcer for the [[New York Giants]].

=== ''Brain Surgery Live'' ===
In 2015, Gumbel hosted the first ever live televised brain surgery during a two-hour National Geographic special. The two-hour event, titled ''Brain Surgery Live with Mental Floss'', gave viewers an up-close look at an awake deep brain stimulation surgery. Filming took place via two handheld cameras as well as several robotic cameras with inputs directly in the doctors' surgical equipment, allowing viewers to see live images as the brain was being operated on in real time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stanhope |first=Kate |date=October 6, 2015 |title=National Geographic to Air First Live Brain Surgery on TV (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/national-geographic-brain-surgery-live-829677/ |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |access-date=June 22, 2023}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Gumbel raised two children with his wife, June, in [[Waccabuc]], north of [[New York City]]. In 2001, he divorced her to marry Hilary Quinlan.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://nypost.com/2001/08/22/bryant-gumbels-divorce-settlement-she-got-the-cash/ | title=Bryant Gumbel's Divorce Settlement: She Got the Cash | work=[[New York Post]] | date=22 August 2001 | access-date=5 June 2014 | last=Dunleavy |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Dunleavy}}</ref> Around 2002, he shed 55 pounds of weight in seven months.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://starstudds.com/bryant-gumbel-weight-loss/ | title=Bryant Gumbel Weight Loss - Things You Need to Know! | work=Star Studds | date=August 3, 2020 }}</ref> In October 2009, he had surgery to remove a malignant tumor near one of his lungs.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

On October 20, 2025, Gumbel was reportedly rushed to a hospital after suffering a medical emergency. A family member told [[TMZ]] he was "okay".<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 21, 2025 |title=Bryant Gumbel hospitalized in NYC |url=https://www.tmz.com/2025/10/21/bryant-gumbel-hospitalized-nyc/ |access-date=October 21, 2025 |publisher=[[TMZ]]}}</ref>

==Awards==
*4 [[Emmy Award]]s<ref name=hbo>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/realsports/correspondents/bios/bryant_gumbel.html|title=HBO: Real Sports: Correspondents}}</ref>
*Frederick D. Patterson Award from the [[United Negro College Fund]]<ref name=hbo/>
*Martin Luther King Award from the [[Congress of Racial Equality]]<ref name=hbo/>
*Three [[NAACP Image Award]]s,<ref name=hbo/> including the [[NAACP Image Award – President's Award|President's Award]]
*[[Edward Murrow Award (OPC)|Edward R. Murrow Award]] for Outstanding Foreign Affairs work from the [[Overseas Press Club]], September 1984
*Edward Weintal Prize for diplomatic reporting
*[[Peabody Award]] for his reporting in [[Vietnam]]
*International Journalism Award from [[TransAfrica]]
*Africa's Future Award from the U.S. Committee for [[UNICEF]]
*Leadership Award from the African-American Institute
*Best Morning TV News Interviewer, the ''[[Washington Journalism Review]]'', 1986
*[[National Association of Black Journalists]], Journalist of the Year Award, 1993
*Trumpet Award of the [[Turner Broadcasting System]], Inc.
*[[Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award]] for outstanding broadcast journalism for ''[[Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel]]'' (HBO), December 2005<ref name=autogenerated1>{{cite web|url=http://www.hbo.com/realsports/awards/|title=Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel - HBO Sports}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |auto=yes}} 
*{{IMDb name|nm0347910}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box|title=[[Today (NBC program)|''Today Show'' host]]|before=[[Tom Brokaw]]|after=[[Matt Lauer]]|years=January 4, 1982 – January 3, 1997<br><small>with [[Jane Pauley]] from 1982 to 1989<br>[[Deborah Norville]] from 1990 to 1991<br>and [[Katie Couric]] from 1991 to 1997</small>}}
{{succession box|before=[[Jim McKay]]|title=American television prime time anchor, [[Summer Olympic Games]]|years=[[1980 Summer Olympics|1980]] (with [[Dick Enberg]])<br>[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988]]|after=[[Bob Costas]]}}
{{succession box|before=First play-by-play commentator|title=[[Thursday Night Football]] play-by-play commentator|years=2006–07|after=[[Bob Papa]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Major League Baseball on NBC}}
{{Thursday Night Football}}
{{NAACP Image Award – President's Award}}
{{Sports Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gumbel, Bryant}}
[[Category:1948 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American people]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:21st-century American journalists]]
[[Category:African-American journalists]]
[[Category:African-American sports commentators]]
[[Category:African-American television hosts]]
[[Category:African-American television personalities]]
[[Category:20th-century American male journalists]]
[[Category:American people of German-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American television hosts]]
[[Category:American television reporters and correspondents]]
[[Category:American television sports commentators]]
[[Category:Bates College alumni]]
[[Category:CBS News people]]
[[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:De La Salle Institute alumni]]
[[Category:American golf commentators]]
[[Category:Journalists from Chicago]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball broadcasters]]
[[Category:Mass media people from New Orleans]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:Olympic Games broadcasters]]
[[Category:People from Waccabuc, New York]]
[[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Television news anchors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:21st-century American male journalists]]